Interstellar Medium and Star Birth Interstellar dust Lagoon nebula: dust + gas
Interstellar Dust Extinction and scattering responsible for localized patches of darkness (dark clouds), as well as widespread obscuration of light from distant stars. Composition: Graphite Graphite and silicates, with icy mantles. Sizes ~ 0.005-0.2 µm. Also, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH s). Dust amounts to only 1% of total mass of ISM (rest is gas), but inferred first due to strong extinction. Origin: condensation within winds from cool supergiant stars.
Interstellar Gas Hartmann (1904) - stationary (and narrow) absorption lines in the spectrum of spectroscopic binaries. Van de Hulst (1945) - prediction of 21 cm emission line of H. Detected by Ewen and Purcell (1951), and others. Hyperfine transition => antiparallel spins have lower energy. It turns out dense regions allow the formation of molecules, H 2 and trace molecules like CO, CN, OH, Detected by their spectral lines since mid 1960 s.
Interstellar Gas Multiwavelength approach allows a panoramic view of galactic gas or dust, while only dark patches were visible in optical image. Optical Infrared, 100 µm Neutral Hydrogen H, in 21 cm line CO emission at 2.7 mm, a tracer of H 2
Gaseous Nebulae Dark nebulae (dark cloud) - Dark patches in optical observations which hide more distant objects. Contain gas and dust. Dust blocks visual. Cool gas emits in wavelengths longer than visible. Optical Same region in radio
Gaseous Nebulae Reflection nebulae - scattered light (mainly by dust) from embedded star. Blue light scattered preferentially. Emission nebulae - emission from recombining atoms (usually H) within zones of ionized material (H II regions) created by hot (type O or B) stars. Often see red Hα line emitted during recombination cascade. Emission, reflection, and dark nebulae in rho Ophiuchus.
Gaseous Nebulae Trifid Nebula - emission, reflection and dark nebulae The Pleiades star cluster - reflection nebulae
Gaseous Nebulae Planetary nebulae - similar to emission nebulae, but exciting object is a hot evolved star. Material expelled from star in post-main sequence phase. Among most spectacular objects in the sky! Ring nebula
Gaseous Nebulae Diversity of planetary nebulae IC 418 - Spirograph nebula
Gaseous Nebulae Supernova remnants - optical emission from ionized material. Radio emission from relativistic electrons spiraling around magnetic fields. Crab nebula
Cosmic Rays and Magnetic Field Cosmic rays - very high energy charged particles; p, e, He ++, Li +++, Ultrarelativistic energies, up to 10 20 ev => v ~ c. Origin: supernovae? Are not gravitationally confined to the Galaxy. So why do we see them? Interstellar B ~ few x 10-10 T. CR s spiral around B field => emit synchrotron radiation in radio band. A nonthermal form of radiation. Note: Gas is confined by gravity and maintains currents that generate B. CR s confined by B, not gravity.
Size of Emission Nebulae (H II regions) Apply steady-state condition: ionization rate = recombination rate. Let N * = # of Lyman continuum (λ < 91.2 nm) photons which leave the central star(s) per unit time. Let R = # of recombinations of protons and electrons into H atoms per unit volume per unit time = α n e n p = α n 2, where α is the recombination coefficient, and n is a number density. 4 3 3N * N* = π rs R rs = 2 3 4παn Stromgren radius However, note that H II regions are rarely spherical. 1/3.
Supernova Interaction with Interstellar Medium Supernovae and stellar winds => mass, momentum, and energy transfer to ISM. Make quick estimate using snowplow model (momentum conservation) for a supernova remnant. Ejected mass M 4M Sun, v0 5,000 km Swept-up mass 4 M = π r 3 ρ 3 M + M v = M Momentum conservation => ( ). -1 0 s 0 0v0 Shell dissipates when v ~ 10 km s -1, the random speed of ISM gas. M So can sweep up 0 ( v 0 v) 5,000 10 M = 4 M Sun 2,000 M Sun. v 10 2-1 2 E Mv 2,000M Sun(10 km s ) 3 Energy? = = = 2 10. Where did it go? 2-1 2 E M v 4M (5,000 km s ) 0 0 0 Sun
Star Formation Need gravity to dominate in a local region. What is a typical size scale for collapse? 2 GM 3 Need U grav to exceed Eth = NkT. L 2 Actual relation is E U. Using m H 2 th grav N = M / 2 for dense regions of molecular hydrogen and 3 M ρ L we get L L J kt m Gρ H 1/2 10 7 T ρ 1/2 m. The Jeans length.
Star Formation Some consequences of collapse: Conservation of angular momentum => rapidly rotating disks. Conservation of magnetic flux => strong magnetic fields. Magnetic field acts as the agent to eject high angular momentum material and allow collapse to form a star => infall + outflows. YSO with disk
Milky Way in Radio (21 cm) See rich structure due to rotation, magnetic fields, and feedback from stars via supernovae and stellar winds.
The Evolution of Matter The ecosystem of galaxies